The present invention relates to the method of producing a structure for furniture and furniture components; and relates to the furniture and furniture components produced thereby.
In the art of fabricating furniture and like structures and furniture elements; having at least one curved or radiused, belt-like surface, these structures have been, usually, fabricated by purchasing or making a (stick built) form, which is later in a single operational phase surfaced with an attached facing of semi rigid laminate such as "Micarta", "Formica", and the like.
Fabricating these curvealinear, normally hollow, furniture pieces, has been historically performed by assembling the ribbed core or mandrel structure, and then applying and attaching a semi-flexible, primed or finished flat belt-like sheet material capable of relatively easy bending. If desired, rigid end pieces are then attached to the open ends formed by the perimeter of the sheet material after it is bent to make a simple or compound curved closed structure. To finish the assembly, end (top and bottom) pieces are attached to the inner face of the curved end pieces thus the joining edges are made flush to finish the piece of furniture. This method can be, and has been, characterized as "cored cabinetry" (or pre-built) furniture construction. In this construction, as well as in the subject invention, the laminate sheet material is curvable primarily in a first direction, and remains substantially straight in the direction perpendicular to that first direction.
However, this historic fabricating method has the distinct disadvantage that it requires excessive amounts of storage space; for the purchase or fabrication and storage of the stock cores of many shapes and sizes needed, also for the considerable amount of "stick" lumber. The old method is prone to form bubbles of irregular adherence between the laminate and the core, and is some times subject to delamination. It is also a disadvantage that there are extra steps in the custom fabrication by the method of the present state of the art, that require a considerable amount of extra labor. These extra steps are not required by the subject invention.
The following references were found to be of interest:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT NOS. A B C ______________________________________ 1. 4,468,273 4,452,657 4,428,791 2. 3,821,051 3,809,598 3,637,446 3. 3,554,624 3,546,771 3,509,005 4. 3,376,185 3,295,279 3,110,369 5. 2,967,593 2,890,739 2,815,795 6. 2,371,754 2,339,113 2,220,898 7. 1,090,593 220,893 ______________________________________
Close approach to the present inventive method and proposed construction and product was not observed in the above cited references. Accordingly, the patents cited above and their patents of reference should be considered as being of general interest and illustrative of the scope of the available art. None, appear to be close, in method or product produced thereby, to the herein proposed inventive concept.
By the new and practical teaching of this invention the sheet like structure is adhered to, or formed with selected rib like structures in the flat condition, that provide by rib to rib interference when closed in a belt-like loop, the required curved or compound curved, auto-radiused furniture, or furniture like elemental structure. This action is referred to as "self configuring". The new art disclosed, as opposed to hands on manufacture, allows automated radiused manufacture, by a "just in time" custom manufacturing method and the manufactured products produced, in this industry for the first time.